The story in John 8 of the woman caught committing adultery and then brought before Jesus is one of the most beloved and well-known stories in the Bible. The reason it is such a beloved and popular story is because it is a wonderful picture of the gospel. All who have been saved by Jesus can relate to this story. Every believer can put them self in place of the woman caught in adultery and say, “This is my story.” Our story may not be a story of adultery, but we can all relate to being guilty sinners who when brought before Jesus have experienced mercy, grace, and forgiveness rather than judgment and condemnation.
If you are not familiar with this story, here is how it is told in John 8:3-11. “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do You say?’ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again, He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.’”
The story is a beautiful picture of the gospel! The woman is a guilty sinner deserving of death. She is brought before Jesus, but rather than being sentenced to death, she is shown mercy, grace, and forgiveness by Jesus. Jesus extends her forgiveness, not because she is innocent, but because Jesus is going to pay the penalty for her sin. Her sin is deserving of death and death is what will be paid. It will be paid by Jesus on her behalf. With his own death upon the cross, Jesus pays the penalty for her sin. All she must do is believe in Jesus and accept His forgiveness. This she does as indicated by her reference to Jesus as Lord. By calling Jesus “Lord,” she is acknowledging who Jesus is and her belief in Him as the one who can forgive her of her sin. Then, as an acknowledgement of her being a new creation, she is told by Jesus to go and sin no more. She is called to walk in accordance to her new life in Christ and the forgiveness she has received and the salvation that has come to her.
Again, this is the story of every sinner who has believed upon Jesus and found forgiveness of their sin and become a new creation. We are all guilty sinners. The penalty for our sin is death. But in Jesus we are granted life, eternal life. We are given eternal life because through our believing in Jesus the condemnation for our sin has been removed. It has been taken away because of Jesus’ death upon the cross. He became our substitute. As 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Jesus Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Then, as a reflection of our salvation in Christ, we are called to walk in newness of life. Colossians 2:6 says, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” When we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we begin to walk in submission and surrender unto His Lordship and live our lives in obedience unto Him.
Isaiah 25:9 says, “Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” May we daily rejoice and be glad in our great salvation in Jesus Christ!
It is a joy to be your pastor!
Brad